Matt
Lafferty led a discussion about the County’s growth management areas (GMA), and
the intergovernmental agreements (IGA) that have been developed with cities and
towns. The information presented to the EAB included the Growth Management
Overlay Zone District regulation contained in the County’s land use code, the
agreement with the Town of Windsor as an illustration of how the contracts are
structured, and a map showing the Loveland and Fort Collins GMA boundaries.

The
IGAs are a cooperative planning tool intended to allow cities and towns to
identify areas where they intend to grow and provide urban level services.
Properties that are not eligible for annexation that are located within an
adopted GMA have the option to develop in the County at urban densities consistent
with the city’s master plan in addition to retaining the option for lower
density rural development as allowed by County zoning.

If
the County elected to implement land use regulations that were specific to one
or more city GMA, the process for doing so would be to revise the Growth
Management Overlay Zone District regulation. This is considered a flexible
approach because the overlay zone does not change the original underlying zone,
but rather adds an additional level that applies to properties within the
overlay zone. A specific example could be to implement oil & gas
regulations in a GMA that were consistent with the city’s standards.

Status
of city hydraulic fracking regulations.

Melissa
Chalona presented information about regulations pertaining to oil & gas
development and hydraulic fracking in the cities of Loveland and Fort Collins.
A handout was provided to outline the current status in each city. The City of
Loveland had adopted an ordinance that covers all oil and gas development
(including fracking) within the City limits. It outlines two broad options for
oil and gas development: a Planning Commission permitting process with defined
standards, and an alternative permitting process that can result in negotiated
standards tailored to the specific situation. The City of Fort Collins has a
current moratorium on oil and gas development that expires on July 31. The
City Council does plan to consider a possible extension of that action. Fort
Collins has completed an Operator Agreement with Prospect Energy, which allows
new operations to proceed and not be restricted by the moratorium. A possible
citizen initiative for a five year moratorium is currently subject to a
signature drive.

Annual
member orientation.

Doug
Ryan provided an overview about the organization and function of the EAB. That
overview included a discussion of the County’s Administrative Policy for Boards
and Commissions, the EAB bylaws, the annual report and work plan, and the Issue
Index used for tracking topics that the Advisory Board has considered.

Ozone
Air Quality Update.

Doug
Ryan provided an update on ozone air quality issues. That presentation
included background information on the ozone air quality standard, the EPA risk
assessment process for setting health-based standards, and monitoring results
from the 2013 ozone season. Ground level ozone is a form of air pollution that
occurs in highest concentrations in the summer when hydrocarbon and nitrogen
oxides emissions from transportation, industry and household sources react in
the presence of heat and sunlight. Ozone action alerts are issued by the
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment on days when weather
conditions are expected to lead to increased ground-level ozone
concentrations. The Denver-Metro/North Front Range region is classified as a
non-attainment area for ozone. A number of strategies have been implemented in
order to reduce ozone forming emissions. Additional information about regional
efforts to control ozone, and information about how to obtain air quality
alerts is available at www.ozoneaware.org.

Chair’s
Comments:

Melissa
Chalona welcomed Chase Eckerdt to the EAB and thanked him for his interest in
applying and serving.

Approval
of Minutes from March, May and June 2013:

The
minutes for March and May were approved as presented. The minutes for June
were approved as revised.

Updates:

Kimberly
Karish noted that the Regional Watershed Supply Project is not longer being
pursued, and can be marked as Inactive on the EAB Issue Index.